The last weekend of the bisonhome sale before Brian Tunks unleashes his new creative energies | HerCanberra

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The last weekend of the bisonhome sale before Brian Tunks unleashes his new creative energies

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For more than 27 years, Brian Tunks has created iconic pieces of ceramics and glassware, and now he is clearing the decks for a new vision in form, texture and colour which will put a fresh face on a beloved brand.

So if you weren’t already aware, there is a massive sale of existing stock going on at bisonhome and it finishes this Sunday afternoon!

What humbly began as a ceramics line sold from the Bus Depot Markets in 1997 has expanded into homewares and glassware with Brian’s pared-back aesthetic, distinctive colour palette and understated sense of elegance propelling the bisonhome brand to an international audience.

From the set of Samantha’s bedroom in Sex in the City to the kitchen of Rolling Stone Ronnie Woods (who fancied an entire dinner set), to fitting out the mountain lodge of a US tech billionaire who shall remain nameless

If you’ve just watched the latest Hollywood blockbuster The Fall Guy, you will see Brian’s jewel-like glass pieces in the foyer of the Kimpton Margot, a grand Art Deco hotel in Sydney’s CBD.

In fact, you are very likely to come across Brian’s glass and ceramics in some of Australia’s most upmarket hotels and restaurants, as well as regularly frequenting the pages of cookbooks and magazines.

Just this week Brian picked up a new cookbook where his pitcher jumped out at him from the cover.

Oh hi friend! There you are. It’s like seeing a family member,” he says.

And yet the esteemed designer chooses to remain based in Canberra despite his success, grounded in a beautiful plot of land at Pialligo, where his wares are displayed in two heritage buildings (a glasshouse and a former chaplain’s cottage from the Duntroon Military College). 

Here, he can be found wandering a nearby paddock tending to his beloved dahlias with his two dogs, Leo and Truman. He fell in love with the dramatic flower years ago as perfect accompaniment for his vase collections and ended up planting 700 bushes at Pialligo before launching the Dahlicious flower festival in March this year.

While Brian is renowned for his sense of style, he remains touched to scroll Instagram and see friends and locals serving family dinners on his bowls or to receive a note from a grandmother many years ago telling him she used his bowl to make her bread every single night.

I found that was really powerful because it showed that link between utility and function.”

Moreover, he is grateful for the local love.

“Design is global and yet Canberra has been such an incredibly nurturing place to grow our brand. From my time at ANU, Kingston Markets, developing our bison stores… people have engaged with us and constantly share stories with us on how they’ve used our pieces or seen them in other states or countries.

His journey has included ebbs and flows, including the decision to work collaboratively with selected design studios in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka after making everything himself for 17 years and reaching a point of burn-out.

More recently, Brian has had to focus inwards to survive the challenges of the pandemic and the changing face of his beloved Pialligo following the (temporary) closure of Pialligo Estate.

Having taken the time to focus on his wellbeing and throw himself into the joy of dahlias by creating Dahlicious which drew thousands of visitors to events across the month of March, Brian is now feeling restored, reinvigorated and ready – for new design directions.

“This will be happening over the next six to 12 months where I will be creating new designs in both ceramics and glass and completely different shapes, and textures and a new range of colours. I’ve had so many ideas in my head for the last 18 months that I haven’t been able to articulate because the world’s been a crazy place post-Covid and there’s been a lot of complications and emotions out here with Pialligo Estate and everything happening as well.

“I jokingly call this part of my ‘Midlife Crisis Collection”, I’m looking at ancient history and the things I did when I worked in archaeology and the simplicity in some of the forms in Egypt, in Persia, in all of these sorts of places.”

Brian studied Classics and the ancient world at university, taking part in archaeological digs outside Aleppo in Syria and travelled extensively in the Middle East. So I am going back to the very early days of design in terms of stone and glasswork as well, and the techniques that we used to produce those pieces.”

He is also planning a visit to Egypt and Turkey with his husband David and close friends which will further fire his creative flow.

“I love Byzantine history. I love the chaos, this weird fusion of religion and design and colour and ceremony and ritual and the fact that it just permeates so many parts of our modern life. I am feeling truly inspired and I plan to shake things up.”

And to that ends, Brian needs to clear out old stock. 

The good news is bisonhome online is now on sale, and the Pialligo shopfronts go on sale from Wednesday.

You can expect large discounts on selected colours and up to 60 per cent off on discontinued firsts and limited lines with hundreds of pieces at reduced cost.

“It’s the biggest sale we’ve ever done, says Brian, who is already fixated on what new iconic pieces will eventually be added to the collections.

Photography by Lean Timms.

THE ESSENTIALS

What: bisonhome sale
When: Online now, finishing 15 September 6 pm. Pialligo shopfronts on sale 4 until 15 September. Open 10 am–4 pm Wednesday to Sunday.
Where: 12 Beltana Road Pialligo
Web: bisonhome.com

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